The Walking Dead: Inmates (4x10)

So, this week we got to check in on all of our other characters from the prison. I was very happy to see who all made it out alive - there were no real shockers there, nor did I expect there to be. A lot of people would have been mighty pissed off if they had killed Glenn or Maggie or someone like that off-screen. And we got a few surprises of the good variety - little Judith lives! And so does Tara, our friend from the Governor's days. As I always found her the only potentially interesting part of that story, I'm glad to see her sticking around. I have some issues with the episode as well, but we'll get to those in a moment. Here's the plot!

Beth and Daryl escaped from the prison together. Beth wants to try and track down fellow escapees, but Daryl seems too depressed to go on. Eventually, with Beth's coaxing, the two of them decide to keep looking. Very quickly, they discover that some of the people from the prison (including Luke) have been killed by Walkers. Beth is in great distress about this.

Lizzie and Mika escaped with Tyreese, and we also learn that they rescued baby Judith from the prison. Judith is constantly crying and putting the group at danger. When Tyreese hears yelling nearby, he leaves the girls with Judith and goes to help out. Mika is terrified, but when a group of Walkers approaches, she doesn't leave her sister, instead choosing to defend her as best as she can. Tyreese finds two men fighting off the Walkers, but they are both bitten before he can do anything to help. Lizzie and Mika, meanwhile, have been rescued by Carol! Before he dies, one of the bitten men tells the group to follow the tracks to a safer place, and they find a sign pointing to a sanctuary.

Maggie, Sasha and Bob have all escaped together as well. Maggie is determined to find the bus and Glenn. However, when the three of them do find the bus, it's to discover that it has been overrun by Walkers. Maggie insists that she needs to know if Glenn is in there, so the three of them open up the bus and kill the Walkers that come out. Maggie goes in and finds a Walker that she initially believes to be Glenn, but when she sees his face properly, she realizes that it is not.

Glenn has been at the prison this whole time. He wakes up out of reach of the Walkers, and manages to work his way into the prison. He gets armor and fights his way through the teeming masses, where he then finds Tara. The two of them escape together. Tara tells Glenn about Hershel's death, and asks why he would even want her help, since she's done so many horrible things. Glenn insists that he needs Tara's help, despite what she's done. When the two of them run up against another group of Walkers, Glenn collapses and Tara manages to take them out. Just then, a truck pulls up, and three people emerge. Their names are Abraham Ford, Eugene Porter, and Rosita Espinosa.

Alright! So, let's talk about the one biggest problem I had with this episode: it lacked focus. Sure, a lot of things happened, but it didn't really lead to much. I'm glad Carol is back with some people from the group, sure, but other than that, what was actually accomplished here? I know it's greedy to want everyone reunited right now, but I feel like you could summarize the events of this episode in one sentence and skip right along, and nothing vital would be missed. Basically, everyone keeps surviving. They keep moving. And I know that ultimately this is what the show's about, but I guess I wanted a bit more direction.

I also thought the fake-out with Glenn on the bus was sort of stupid. Much like last week, when they tried to make us think Rick was a Walker, it was pointless to try and trick us again with this Glenn thing, because, like I said, the likelihood of them killing Glenn off screen is pretty low.

But, to be fair, there were a lot of good things going on as well. Let's take a look!

Judith is alive. I'm overjoyed about this. I was a bit angry when they killed her off, because I thought it was just a cheap way of avoiding the pain of a baby on set/in the fake wilderness of this show. I'm glad they're going to grapple with that challenge.

Carol has returned! And she's with Tyreese, which is just rife with all sorts of tensions. You have to wonder what sort of conflict is going to brew between them if Carol's secret ever gets out. What with so many recent casualties, it would be in Tyreese's best interest to forgive Carol for her earlier actions. But, as we know from watching this show, people don't often act in their best interest, even in these extreme circumstances.

Tara. I'm pleased to see her back, and I'm curious about her future development. She and Glenn should prove to be an interesting combo.

Acting! Maggie's anguished discovery of the bus, and her relieved yet slightly hysterical laughter when Glenn wasn't there... Carol's discomfort at seeing Tyreese, paired with her relief to see the girls... little Mika running scared but later standing firm to protect Lizzie and Judith... Glenn's heartbreak upon learning of Hershel's death... all of these moments were excellently portrayed by the actors. With this show, I'd expect little else.

There you have it! I felt, unfortunately, like this episode meandered a bit too much. I was still entertained, but I'd love it if we could have more of a unifying goal or conflict in the near future. The Walkers have been around since the beginning. By now, they're not really scary just on their own.

7/10